The Shipyard
The Shipyard is a full-service independent marketing and communications agency with 400 professionals across 10 U.S. offices, serving 245 enterprise clients in CPG, tourism, technology, and government through an integrated PR, creative, media, and digital model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Shipyard does
The Shipyard is a full-service independent marketing and communications agency headquartered in Columbus, Ohio with a secondary West Coast headquarters in San Diego, California. Founded in 2002, the agency operates across 10 U.S. offices with approximately 400 professionals serving 245 active clients in 35 states. Service lines span brand strategy and identity, creative and campaign development, digital experience and innovation (including Web3 and AI integration), media planning and buying, public relations, and reputation management, delivered through The Shipyard Collective operating model that unifies The Shipyard core brand with acquired entities Fahlgren Mortine (PR, acquired May 2024), TURNER (travel/tourism PR), and TinyWins (digital feelings studio, acquired May 2025).
Revenue is generated primarily through enterprise B2B client retainers and project fees across verticals including travel and tourism (Visit California, San Diego Tourism Authority), consumer packaged goods (In-N-Out Burger, Marzetti, Weleda), technology and innovation (Joby Aviation, Swisslog, Veloz), government and public interest (Ohio Lottery, Save Our Water, US Air Force), and personal brands (Tony Robbins, San Francisco Ballet). Combined entity billings stand at $350 million, with pricing undisclosed but structured around multi-year retainer arrangements and project scopes. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales with formal competitive reviews, supplemented by thought leadership through an annual Engineering Brand Love Summit, SXSW participation, and a content marketing program of 81+ insights articles.
The agency's technology stack integrates paid, earned, and owned media capabilities with proprietary tools including the patent-pending Generative Engine Optimization platform accessed through the FancyAI strategic investment (February 2026), the PULSE measurement platform for marketing effectiveness, and a 1,200+ behavioral marker analytics practice. The Shipyard holds SOC 2 Type 2 certification, has raised a $21.5M follow-on investment from Alaris Equity Partners as part of an $80M convertible debenture offering, and is recognized as an Adweek Fastest Growing Agency, two-time PRSA Best Mid-sized Agency, and Campaign World's Top Independent Agency.
The Shipyard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Shipyard
- Legal name
- The Shipyard, LLC
- Website
- https://theshipyard.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Shipyard is a full-service independent marketing and communications agency with 400 professionals across 10 U.S. offices, serving 245 enterprise clients in CPG, tourism, technology, and government through an integrated PR, creative, media, and digital model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Shipyard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
The Shipyard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Marketing Services Retainers and Project Fees: Full-service agency providing integrated marketing services including brand strategy, creative development, media buying, public relations, and digital experience. Revenue generated through client retainers and project-based engagements across 245 active clients in 35 states.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise marketing services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Shipyard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Shipyard is a full-service independent marketing and communications agency that delivers brand strategy, creative campaign development, media planning and buying, digital experience, and public relations through an integrated, non-siloed operating model called "Engineering Brand Love." The agency serves 245 enterprise and government clients across 35 states through retainers and project-based engagements, and in 2026 became the first agency to offer patented Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) technology directly to clients via its strategic investment in FancyAI.
Product overview
The Shipyard is a full-service independent marketing and communications agency that operates primarily as a services firm. Its core offering is The Shipyard brand itself, delivering brand strategy, creative and campaign development, digital experience and innovation, media and performance marketing, and public relations through an integrated, non-siloed model. The agency extends its capabilities through The Shipyard Collective operating model, which unifies three agency brands — The Shipyard (core), Fahlgren Mortine (PR and communications), and TinyWins (digital feelings studio) — under one cohesive structure. In February 2026, The Shipyard made a strategic investment in FancyAI, a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform with patent-pending technology, becoming the first agency to bring GEO technology directly to clients to help brands improve visibility in AI-powered discovery environments. The overall portfolio is organized around the agency's 'Engineering Brand Love' philosophy, which integrates paid, earned, and owned media channels into a unified force multiplier model.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Shipyard (Full-Service Marketing & Communications Agency) Full-service independent marketing and communications agency that engineers brand love through unified paid, earned, and owned media channels. Delivers brand strategy, creative campaigns, media planning and buying, digital experience, and PR services for enterprise and government clients across multiple offices nationwide.
- Fahlgren Mortine (Public Relations) Top-20 U.S. public relations firm and two-time PRSA Silver Anvil Agency of the Year, retained as an acquired brand within The Shipyard Collective. Provides integrated communications strategy, research and insights, content development, media and influencer relations, corporate communications, reputation management, and crisis communications.
- TinyWins (Digital Feelings Studio) Global digital feelings studio specializing in emotionally intelligent, tech-forward brand building. Provides strategy, creative, design, AI, Web3, app development, and platform innovation capabilities. Co-founded by Lillian Marsh and Matty Ayers and operating within The Shipyard Collective.
- FancyAI Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Technology Patent-pending Generative Engine Optimization platform that helps brands understand, influence, and improve how they are discovered and recommended by AI-powered search and recommendation systems. Offered directly to clients by The Shipyard as the first agency to bring patented GEO technology to market.
Quantifiable outcome
- 400% sales growth for In-N-Out Burger over 3 years
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use The Shipyard
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Shipyard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability11 records
Feature2 records
The Shipyard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- FancyAIcoreStrategic investment in FancyAI, a Generative Engine Optimization platform with patent-pending technology. The Shipyard became the first agency to bring patented GEO technology to clients, enabling brands to strengthen visibility and credibility across AI-powered discovery environments. The technology is being deployed with select clients and customized to meet real-world client needs.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Shipyard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wieden+Kennedy: Portland-based iconic independent creative agency and one of the largest independent agencies globally (~1,500+ employees). Overlaps significantly on creative reputation and enterprise brand work, but operates at materially greater scale than The Shipyard.
- McCann Worldgroup: IPG-owned global advertising network offering brand strategy, creative, media, PR, and digital at massive global scale. Competes for the same enterprise AOR work as The Shipyard but with global footprint and far larger resource base.
- Digitas: Publicis-owned digital marketing network offering integrated creative, media, data, and technology services. Represents the kind of global, full-service holding-company competitor that The Shipyard's Collective model is partly designed to compete against.
Direct peers
- 72andSunny: Los Angeles-based independent creative agency known for brand-building work with consumer and entertainment clients. Similar size tier and integrated creative+media+digital offering; both agencies pursue enterprise brand AOR work.
- The Martin Agency: Richmond, VA-based independent creative agency of comparable size (~500-700 people) with a similar integrated offering across brand strategy, creative, media, and digital. Frequently competes for the same enterprise AOR mandates as The Shipyard.
- Mother Design: NYC-based independent creative agency within the Mother network, focused on brand strategy and design. Similar integrated, silo-free operating philosophy and comparable client caliber.
- Anomaly: Independent creative agency with offices in NYC, LA, London, Shanghai, and Toronto, known for non-traditional operating model that integrates strategy, creative, and media. Similar philosophy of breaking down agency silos that underpins The Shipyard Collective model.
- GSD&M: Austin, TX-based independent agency owned by Omnicom, with similar integrated creative, media, and digital capabilities. Comparable mid-large agency competing for similar enterprise brand work, especially in CPG and consumer categories.
- RPA: Santa Monica-based independent full-service agency with strong CPG and automotive client roster. Comparable size, similar integrated advertising/creative/media capabilities, and similar enterprise AOR positioning.
- R/GA: Independent digital agency (formerly owned by IPG, now independent under new ownership) with strong technology, design, and innovation capabilities. Directly comparable to The Shipyard's digital experience and AI-driven innovation positioning post-TinyWins.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Shipyard social profiles
Digital presenceThe Shipyard compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Shipyard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Shipyard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
The Shipyard subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
The Shipyard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Shipyard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A7 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Shipyard
What does The Shipyard do?
The Shipyard is a full-service independent marketing and communications agency that delivers brand strategy, creative campaign development, media planning and buying, digital experience, and public relations through an integrated, non-siloed operating model called "Engineering Brand Love." The agency serves 245 enterprise and government clients across 35 states through retainers and project-based engagements, and in 2026 became the first agency to offer patented Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) technology directly to clients via its strategic investment in FancyAI.
Is The Shipyard a public or private company?
The Shipyard is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was The Shipyard founded?
The Shipyard was founded in 2002. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Shipyard based?
The Shipyard is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Shipyard make money?
One revenue line is on record: marketing Services Retainers and Project Fees.
Who are The Shipyard's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wieden+Kennedy, McCann Worldgroup and Digitas. Direct peers are 72andSunny, The Martin Agency, Mother Design, Anomaly, GSD&M, RPA and R/GA.
Does The Shipyard have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Shipyard.